“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
-Romans 1:20
Theologically speaking, I’m gonna say that surfing itself will not, indeed cannot, save the soul. Now, if you’re referring to soul music, or the beat of a wave, they may be able to save you from the omnipresent tone deaf melodies of jackhammers and earth movers.
I first heard the term “soul surfing” in the late ’60s, when Skip Frye was groovin’ as the guardian of PB Point, bumping the sounds of James Brown and company on XERB as the Wolfman howled and the boys laid down tracks that were sometimes spoken of as spiritual.
Surfing pioneer Tom Blake called the lineup, “The Church of the Open Sky.” I like the sound of that, but is surfing spiritual in its essence, or another carnal endeavor, feeding the glutenous flesh on ego scraps until it’s ready to burst?
I don’t think I’m the only one who has felt a connection to the Most High when watching a wave peel around the point as the morning sun lights up the water and a lone surfer glides upon a flawless face. Throw in dolphins jumping, birds diving, fish hiding, gremmies hooting and the miracle of saltwater communion, and it’s hard to believe that the entire universe, including endless point waves with surfers who have figured out how to fly over sections, get barreled, go from wooden planks to foam and fiberglass space sticks, from 5 to 10 feet long, all built itself from nothing. (No rebuttals necessary on this last point. I realize there are atheistic arguments to the contrary.)
While the ocean is a great teacher of truth, I believe it is limited when it comes to conveying some deeper truths. These are placed in our hearts, in the eyes of children, and in ancient texts.
Is it any wonder that so many surfers have become preachers? Frye has never been officially ordained but transfers words of salvation through scriptures written on his boards and in lineups from Swami’s to Sunset Cliffs. Pipeline master Joey Buran has made the jump from the barrel to the pulpit.
Mark Foreman is most everybody’s favorite surf pastor in North County. I first met Mark nearly 40 years ago while we surfed Cardiff Reef together. Our first conversation was not about God, however, but the boards we were riding. This pointless chitchat quickly evolved into a scriptural debate that continues without pause to this day.
Around the time of that first meeting, Mark was hired as senior pastor of North Coast Calvary Chapel where he seamlessly blended tales from the tube with stories of He who walked on water.
Regardless of where one worships in North County, it’s an easy transition from a wetsuit to the Sunday best. Actually, it need not even be your best. Most of houses of worship in the neighborhood will welcome you wet and sandy and alive with stoke.
